NIGERIA’s National Telecommunications Carrier, Globacom, has launched the country’s first ever-comprehensive airport Wi-Fi facility in collaboration with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

With this development, passengers and other users of the airports will now be able to connect wirelessly to the Internet through their smart phones, tablets, laptops and other smart devices.

Senior government officials, led by the Minister of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka, formally commissioned the facility, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Monday.

Globacom’s Coordinator, Business Solutions, Ike Oraekwuotu, said the telecommunications firm was “delighted to bring Nigeria up to speed with one of the best trends in the aviation industry worldwide by introducing ultra high speed Wi-Fi data experience for travellers and other users of our airports, beginning with Nigeria’s flagship airport, the MMIA.”‎

According to Oraekwuotu, the facility, which will be available at both the domestic and the international wings of key airports across the country, has been made possible due to the great vision and passion demonstrated by the ministry of Aviation and the FAAN working diligently with Globacom.

In a presentation, Globacom’s Regional Chief Marketing Officer, Ashok Israni, who disclosed that the service would be available in 22 airports nationwide soon, said all passengers using the airport irrespective of the network they are on would be able to connect to the facility. They will subsequently be directed to a subscription page where they will be able to buy a Wi-Fi data plan through three options.

The options, according to him, include using an existing data plan the subscriber has with Globacom, or by recharging their line through a Glo recharge card available at the Glo kiosks at the airport, or by paying for the WIFI plan through a credit card.

“Whichever option a subscriber goes for, they are ushered into a world of reliable, ultra-fast internet so that they can keep in touch with their relatives, friends, colleagues and associates regardless of whether they are connected to a mobile network or not,” he said.

According to him, users can access the Internet at the speed of as much as 100 megabits per second anywhere around the MMIA, including the departure, arrival, and executive lounges, ticketing and waiting areas as well as passengers welcoming lobby.

While formally commissioning the facility, Chidoka described the launch of the facility as a major milestone in Nigeria’s march towards greatness, stressing that it constitutes one of the critical steps necessary for unleashing the latent energy of the nation towards unlocking the potential of the giant of Africa.

He commended Globacom for the hard work put into the project, acknowledging that several major obstacles were encountered along the way.

“I am happy that on the eve of my departure, this facility is up and running. We selected Globacom for this project based on nationalistic instinct and I’m proud we did because they have made the nation proud by delivering the project on time,” he said.